Believe me when I tell you Washington is going through stages of grief at the sudden demolition of the White House East Wing. The wreckage looks like a crime scene, with President Donald Trump’s thumbprints on it. He didn’t ask or tell people, he just destroyed a sacred structure that sang of American history. Vintage Trump.

The mood of the city is falling fast. As if we weren’t already demoralized with lost jobs, shuttered museums and a closed Zoo. Cafes are quiet. The government shutdown is further loss of lifeblood.

Believe me when I tell you there’s nothing going on in Congress to end the October shutdown. The two Senate party leaders pass coldly in the halls without a word. At 64, John Thune, the rookie Republican Senate leader, is the new sheriff in town. This is the South Dakotan’

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